Request for Quotations: Basin-Wide Synthesis of Chinook Salmon Returns to Klamath River

Deadline for Submission of Materials:  January 16, 2024

 

Overview 

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) invites interested professional service providers to submit statements of quotations to assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office (AFWO) staff in conducting a synthesis of basin-wide Chinook salmon returns, in-river aquatic habitat conditions, and southern Oregon and northern California ocean conditions. The synthesis should assess spatially varying relative successes and failures in Klamath Basin Chinook salmon production, which will be used to develop recommendations to alleviate identified bottlenecks.

 

Background

NFWF is the largest private conservation grant-maker in the nation and is dedicated to sustaining, restoring and enhancing the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations. NFWF advances these ideals through innovative public and private partnerships, and by investing financial resources and intellectual capital into science-based programs designed to address conservation priorities and achieve measurable outcomes.

NFWF has administered funding in support of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s efforts to conserve native fish species in the Klamath Basin for over ten years. The Klamath River Technical Advisory Team estimated natural-area adult Klamath fall-run Chinook salmon spawner abundance for the 2022 spawning season to fall below the minimum spawning escapement floor set in the Pacific Fisheries Management Council's Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This represents the sixth time in the last seven years the escapement floor has failed to be met. The importance of the fall-run stock is well described in the FMP, which lists this run as a major contributor to ocean salmon fisheries that extend from Humbug Mountain, Oregon to Horse Mountain, California, as well as critical to in-river tribal and recreational fisheries in the Klamath River Basin. 

Restrictions or closure to the Klamath's fall-run Chinook salmon fisheries have had severe economic and social impacts to local communities in northern California and southern Oregon. For example, estimates show that the California salmon industry alone is valued at $1.4 billion in economic activity.  Additionally, the relative success of significant tributary populations over time is not commensurate with expectations regarding basin watershed areas, numbers of returning adults, and historic performance.

 

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The selected contractor will be requested to quantify spatially varying production measures and assess which factors have led to declining fall-run Chinook salmon returns in the Klamath Basin. This synthesis should point to remedies that may bring tributary production in line with watershed potential. The selected contractor will provide a peer-reviewed, scientific technical report or journal publication describing the context, methods, results, and implications for management arising from the project.

 

Instructions for Providing Quotations 

  1. Address each item in the Outline of Quotations below.
  2. Limit your response to a maximum of five (5) pages (not including resumes).
  3. E-mail a PDF version of your responses to femke.freiberg@nfwf.org. In the subject line, please indicate Response to RFQ for Chinook Synthesis – [name of respondent].  Applications will not be accepted in hard copy form or alternate electronic form.
  4. Applications must be e-mailed no later than midnight PST on January 16, 2024.

Please send questions and related inquiries to femke.freiberg@nfwf.org.

 

Outline of Quotations

The description of your and/or your organization’s quotation should include the following elements:

  1. Contact information. Please provide a Primary Contact Person, Entity Name, Address, Phone, Email, Website, and EIN or SSN.
  2. Expertise. Please list the type(s) of services your or your organization provides relating to the required qualifications and your scientific expertise in anadromous fish research synthesis.
  3. Past Experience. Please detail your experience in providing services like those required per this RFQ, including collaboration with federal agencies and anadromous fish research synthesis.
  4. Fee structure. Please provide a proposed budget with cost quotes for each Task for your proposed services, including hourly rates for proposed job classifications and, if available, audited overhead rates. The proposed budget should itemize work in sufficient detail to enable reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of the entire funding request. You must use the attached Contractor Budget Template. Please highlight any non-profit discounts on the services you provide.
  5. References. Please include contact information for three client references relevant to the services described above.

 

Evaluation Criteria

NFWF will emphasize the following factors in its evaluation of responses submitted pursuant to this RFQ: 

  • Knowledge and track record. 
  • Experience with federal agencies and in relevant geographies.
  • Cost effectiveness.  
  • Capacity and flexibility to deliver services. 

 

ELIGIBLE OFFERORS & CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, international organizations, and local, state, and Indian tribal governments. Small and minority businesses, and women's business enterprises are strongly encouraged to apply.

By submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation, the offeror warrants and represents that it does not currently have any apparent or actual conflict of interest, as described herein.  In the event an offeror currently has, will have during the life of the contemplated contract, or becomes aware of an apparent or actual conflict of interest, in the event an award is made, the offeror must notify NFWF in writing in the proposal, or in subsequent correspondence (if the issue becomes known after the submission of the proposal) of such apparent or actual conflicts of interest, including organizational conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest include any relationship or matter which might place the contractor, the contractor’s employees, or the contractor’s subcontractors in a position of conflict, real or apparent, between their responsibilities under the award and any other outside interests, or otherwise. Conflicts of interest may also include, but are not limited to, direct or indirect financial interests, close personal relationships, positions of trust in outside organizations, consideration of future employment arrangements with a different organization, or decision-making affecting the award that would cause a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts to question the impartiality of the offeror, the offeror’s employees, or the offeror’s future subcontractors in the matter. Upon receipt of such a notice, the NFWF Contracting Officer will determine if a conflict of interest exists and, if so, if there are any possible actions to be taken by the offeror to reduce or resolve the conflict. Failure to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies NFWF may result in the proposal not being selected for award.

By submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation, the Offeror warrants and represents that it is eligible for award of a Contract resulting from this solicitation and that it is not subject to any of the below circumstances:

Has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an Contract with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or

Was convicted (or had an officer or agent of such corporation acting on behalf of the corporation convicted) of a felony criminal violation under any Federal or State law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or

Is listed on the General Services Administration’s, government-wide System for Award Management Exclusions (SAM Exclusions), in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 C.F.R Part 180 that implement E.O.s 12549 (3 C.F.R., 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 C.F.R., 1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension, ” or intends to enter into any subaward, contract or other Contract using funds provided by NFWF with any party listed on the SAM Exclusions in accordance with Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The SAM Exclusions instructions can be found here: https://www.sam.gov/SAM/.

 

SUBMISSION DEADLINES     

 January 16, 2024

Deadline for receipt of quotations to NFWF. 
Quotations must be sent electronically as an email attachment to femke.freiberg@nfwf.org by midnight PST on January16, 2024. Quotations must be provided in Word format or searchable PDF.
 March 2024 Contract award to selected Offeror.
 March 31, 2025 Deliverables due